Computing Across America
by Steven K. Roberts · first published 1988
9mentions
3recommended by
8HN commenters
2010–2025first – last mentioned
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I had occasion to meet Steve Roberts at the Dayton Hamvention when he had just published Computing Across America. I don't know anyone so delightfully dedicated to sheer hardware and software hacking fully integrated with one's lifestyle. [edit] and here is what may have begun his start: https://microship.com/combo-mowing-rig-1966-movie/
on “Meet Datawake – Nomadic Research Labs (2016)” ↗A bit off from what you want, but for an extreme - see Steve Roberts's book "Computing Across America". In the 1980s he outfitted a bicycle with computers and solar collectors and so on and set out to ride all around the US. His current project is setting up a sailboat to live on; he blogs about it…
on “Ask HN: How to travel cheaply?” ↗…the world via computer network, work remotely, it was poof mind blown. Like looking 15 years into the future. Later on during University, after my first summer programming internship I read his book, "Computing Across America", which I highly recommend. For me at least, Steve was also kind of a lifestyle guru. Reading his book you realized you that you didn't have to be chained to a desk in an office, that technology would…
on “BEHEMOTH – Big Electronic Human-Energized Machine, Only Too Heavy” ↗This is the Computing Across America guy, Steven K. Roberts. I saw only that book cover online as a young computer enthusiast and was inspired. Here’s a recent post from his blog and another article I found about his projects. Thanks for…
on “Microship.com: The Library of Technomadics” ↗By Steven K. Roberts, famous for being one of the first high-profile "technomads". I remember reading his "Computing Across America" series on GEnie, back in the day. He had a high-tech bicycle and wrote email using a chording handlebar keyboard with 8 keys (4 on a side) that he used to input raw ASCII into his computer.
on “LISP Comes of Age” ↗In a book I read more than two decades ago now, Computing Across America, Steven Roberts wrote: "Art without engineering is dreaming; engineering without art is calculating." Roberts current blog is http://nomadness.com/blog
on “Engineering vs design” ↗https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_K._Roberts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Electronic_Human_Energized... https://microship.com/computing-across-america/ https://archive.org/details/computingacrossa00robe https://openlibrary.org/works/OL4687267W/Computing_Across_Am...
on “40 years ago, an enthusiast biked 17,000 miles with a mobile computer and solar” ↗(bike) Computing Across America, 1983-1987, https://microship.com/category/caa/page/5/ (boat) Building the Microship Trimaran, https://microship.com/microship/ > The Microship project spanned a decade, with three different labs and…
on “Wizard with a Time Machine” ↗Yes i remember! Back in the 80s didn’t he document his journey and had a best seller . I bought that book. Was called “Computing Across America.” Started the whole digital nomad trend of trekking across long distances and blogging it etc etc. Hahaha I mean the guys bike had crazy inspector gadget type gadgets! Like a computer, a ham radio,…
on “Steve Roberts: Computing Across America” ↗